ok, yeah, i've been gone awhile. well.. i wasn't on vacation... i was in seriouse thought.

I thought about the idea of gods/goddesses alot too, and i came to a few conclusions of my own.

WARNING!!! This in no way implies this is fact.. this is just my perception on this topic so ther is room for error. PLEASE, do not get angry at me cause i may say things that contradict your beliefs.

That said, I've come to the conclusion that all gods/goddesses are creatures just like you and me. This is not to say they are not powerful.. they most definitely are. They are just other beings seen to be more powerful than humans could grasp with their minds. I believe they may live in different realms/universes. But I also believe that you do not need them to survive, you can gain power to rival theirs in time (although i don't think any human has the lifespan to do this).

Any comments/questions are welcomed.

"What is a god but a man who weilds the power of chaos?" - Peter Carroll

I wouldn't say the Gods are us... But, in my way of looking at it, the gods are partly us, as they seem to be influenced somewhat by our belief. We can become Gods as well, but I think that as we stay in that attained position longer, we in turn become something more than a powerful human, we in turn start to be affected by our followers beliefs... That makes us something more & less than human... otherwise known as a God!

At least, that's how I look at it!

Trying to create a world, even in words, is good occupational therapy for lunatics who think they're God, and an excellent argument for Polytheism. -S.M. Stirling

Hi folks,
I've been away for a while but browsing through I noticed this topic. Thank you Underlith, excellent subject.

How about the notion that the Gods are not the creators of the universe. Science explains all that. So the Gods of the Pagan paths are not the creators of nature but a force of nature.
What do you think?

It'll be all right in the end. If it's not all right, it's not the end.

the Gods of the Pagan paths are not the creators of nature but a force of nature.

Interesting... I like that, very much.

I am a believer that everything is Divine - from the chair I am sitting on to the golden sun. Everything is part of the divine spark and God/Goddess and I are co-creators. I believe we are a part of the Divine which has split itself into bits to experience itself, and thus also into archetypes and actual beings known as gods, goddesses, as well as humans, negative spirits, animals, the grass, stones, as I feel everything natural has a consciousness, and even man-made things to some extent, although I will admit most of it is imprinted much like the gollum. Or do I mean another word which I can't for the life of me remember on 4 hrs sleep?

So we are divine, all of us, on par and equal to the Creator, for we are the Creator, and the Creator is us. In my worldview, gods and goddesses are just a part of that energy, representing the divine in different forms.

Crazy Healer LadyHealth and happiness to you!

The purpose of a relationship is not to have another who might complete you, but to have another with whom you might share your completeness. -CWG

Are the gods we are discussing anthropmorphised in any way? I don't think there are personal Gods, but that there may be beings wee as humans don'r understand who are way more in touch with the way the universi works.

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.
Dr. Seuss (1904 - 1991)

My origional thought of gods being creatures came from the idea that the ancient civilizations may have been visited by these beings and been in awe. Thus leading to their worship.

I then thought of gods as archetypes as suggested above, but I prefer to not call those gods so much as forces of nature/energy.

And my notion of us being gods comes from my idea of us holding unlimited potential. We can use this potential in a variety of ways, majick being one of them. Majick is the most spiritual of these ways in my opinion.

more suggestions are welcome though

Thank you all for your contributions, this has proved to be a worthwile discussion.

"What is a god but a man who weilds the power of chaos?" - Peter Carroll

Yes, a very worthwhile discussion.
CHL, if I could just extrapolate on your comments.
The Bhagavad Gita, the holy book of the Hindu says
"If you can see me in all things, and behold all things in me. Then you will never lose sight of me, and I will never lose sight of you."
Isn't that something you could hear the Goddess say? particularly in light of what you said about all things being Divine.
As for us becoming Gods. When we call upon the Gods and Spirits and the directions etc. during our rites and rituals, aren't we calling upon the forces of nature to do our will? and when we are correct in our workings and our will comes to pass, then for a moment we become like Gods.
So we honor the Gods, not worship.
Any thoughts?

It'll be all right in the end. If it's not all right, it's not the end.

I agree, I do not worship any gods but i do pay them respect... they deserve it. They're like the old guys down the street with all the wisdom and knowledge of a long full life. But that doesn't mean you have to worship them. Just take their wisdom into account, and use it in finding your way through your life.

"What is a god but a man who weilds the power of chaos?" - Peter Carroll

As for honouring, not worshiping... Worshipping has always rubbed me the wrong way. When you worship, you acknowledge something is greater than you and then somehow you are less. When you feel that you are less, negative emotions arise, and that I believe is opposite to what you should feel when you are experiencing the Divine.

Crazy Healer LadyHealth and happiness to you!

The purpose of a relationship is not to have another who might complete you, but to have another with whom you might share your completeness. -CWG

underlilith wrote:
Is that what Norse is? well, please explain, i never looked too far into that path.

Well....partly.

It is a two way process. When you read about Gods demanding gold. That is not gold LITERAL. It is a kenning (Nick name, or similar) for experience and knowledge.

So the Gods learn from us. But the more knowledge and experience you gain the more "Godlike" you become.

Giants, Dwarves, elves etc are all steps on that ladder.

underlilith
I then thought of gods as archetypes as suggested above, but I prefer to not call those gods so much as forces of nature/energy.

daibanjo
So the Gods of the Pagan paths are not the creators of nature but a force of nature.
What do you think?

More or less exactly.

The Gods are manifestations of physical forces.

Take Thorrs hammer for instance. It is thrown as a thunder bolt, then returns to Thorrs hand.

Now read up on electrical circuitry.

Grottas mill is where all the dead go that come to the Gods with no experience and/or no knowledge, ie "dead matter". They are thrown into Grottas mill where they are ground up into the basic components of the universe, later to be reused.

Now, revise black hole theory.

Spiders web/Branches on Yggdrassyl? Worm holes.

More simple, the tale of the stealing of Friggs hair. Harvest.

Read any of the myths and you will find sound scientific theory being described. Whether physics, biology, or sociology (Rigg/Heimdallr forming the classes of man).